No Safe Haven
by sladespeare
Summary: An impending danger looms on the horizon, in the form of creatures known as Grieves. Roxas, Sora, and Riku are tasked with holding off these creatures, and to try and find out from where and who they are coming from. But what happens when the thing they've been looking for is right under their noses?
1. Chapter 1

**No Safe Haven**

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

 **There is no safe heart**

 **There is no bound mind**

 **No-one can ever escape the darkness**

 **The pitch black abyss that rests inside**

* * *

A tall figure walked across the shores of Destiny Islands, following a trail of footsteps with help of the soft moonlight. Spiky brown hair blew wildly in the breeze, and the entire beach was silent except for the sound of waves crashing upon the sand. The brunet figure suddenly stopped and crouched down, scooping up a piece of a broken pocket watch and examining it carefully.

"This doesn't look like the White Rabbit's watch," he mused. "I better find the person it belongs to."

He stood up again and continued walking along the footprint path. The moon soon became hidden through a small but dense array of clouds, and with his only source of light gone, the boy wandered aimlessly around the beach. Suddenly, his foot caught something long, and he tripped, falling face-first into the sand. The boy quickly sat up, patting the sand off his face and huffed, and looked towards the thing that tripped him. With the darkness stretching everywhere, he could only make out what seemed to be a thick branch. He kicked it indignantly, and continued his walk, but then he heard a soft whimper. The boy quickly jumped away from the source of noise, readying himself in a fighting stance.

"Who was that?" He asked, half-afraid of hearing an answer.

There was no reply. He inched closer to the branch, expecting some kind of monster to jump out and swallow him whole, but there was nothing (a thing he was quite relieve about.) The thick clouds moved out from under the moon, and he almost fell back at the sight before him. A small person lay on the sand, seemingly still in their black kitten pajamas. He couldn't tell if it was a girl or a boy, but he was edging more towards the latter, what with the messy short black hair and lanky physique. The boy walked around the person, and his eyes widened.

Pitch black shadows seemed to rise out of the sand and crawl about the kid's arms and legs. The boy cursed and knelt down, pulling the person onto their back. The shadows attacked him as well, attaching themselves to the boy's own arms and face. He tried shaking the person awake, but nothing. He looked around for something, anything, to wake the person in front of him, but all he found was what looked like the other half of the broken pocket watch. He picked it up, taking the piece he found out and putting them together. When they connected, there was a blinding light, and the shadows disappeared. The boy let out a sigh of relief as they left the person's body.

"Sora! Hey Sora!"

The boy, Sora, turned when he heard the voice of her friends, Kairi and Riku. He was about to call out to them when something grasped him arm, and he turned. Half-lidded green eyes stared at him, brimming with tears.

"Keep…Keep the clock…away from me…" a soft, sad voice whispered. "It's better…if I don't feel…the darkness…"

"H-Hey, w-what are you talking about..?" Sora stuttered as their eyes closed. "W-Wake up!"

A hand was placed on his shoulder, and he glanced up. He met the violet gaze of Kairi, who looked at him with a worried expression. "Sora, you okay?" She asked. "Who were you talking to?"

"Them-" Sora looked downwards, finding nobody there. He grasped desperately for the sand, but the person was no long there. All that was left, he found as he picked it up, was the broken pocket watch. "Kai, I swear, there was this kid here! Riku, you-"

"I think you've been skipping sleep too much, Sora," Riku interrupted. He offered his hand, which the brunet gratefully took, and he helped his friend up. "C'mon, we'll walk you back home."

Kairi offered him a worried smile, and the two began pushing their best friend along the beach. Sora looked up, hoping that the kid would somehow reappear and explain to him what had just happened, but nothing happened. He glanced at the clock in his hand, slightly hoping that it would give him answers, at least a small hint would suffice, but it didn't. It only ticked.

 _"Keep…Keep the clock…away from me…"_

Sora slipped the watch into the pockets of his shorts, trying to shake the anguished voice from his mind.

 _"It's better…if I don't feel…the darkness…"_

* * *

The next day, Sora woke himself extra early (a feat even he was amazed at) to run down to the beach, back to the spot from yesterday. He held the pocket watch in his hand, clutching it tightly, hoping it wouldn't disappear just like that kid did yesterday. He yawned as he jogged along the beach. He barely got any sleep that night, his mind preoccupied with the image of the shadows crawling up the poor kid's arms. He reached the spot without much trouble, and looked around. There was nothing. He sighed and turned back. What had he been hoping to find? Some giant scroll with all the answers he was looking for? He hit himself lightly on the head, scolding himself.

"Oh, hey Sora."

The brunet jumped. A familiar blonde stood behind him, smiling happily and waving. He ran to him, jumping on him and hugging him. "Hey, Roxas! It's been so long!"

Roxas smiled. "It has been."

Sora let him go. Ever since Roxas and Sora had decided to split bodies back a year ago, he hadn't seen the older blonde much at all. Roxas had decided to go back to Twilight Town, to be able to live his life like a normal teenager, and to see Hayner, Pence, and Olette. He occasionally visited, mostly during the breaks, but for the past few months, the blonde and brunet had little to no contact. Sora punched his friend's arm, and the two began to walk along the beach.

"So, how have you been?" He asked. "How is the Heartless situation back in Twilight Town?"

"It's been getting way worse, Sor. They keep popping up everywhere, it feels like there's no damn end to them," The blonde admitted.

"That's really strange. Nothing has come to the Islands yet, it's pretty peaceful. I wonder why…"

"I think King Mickey knows why," Roxas said quietly.

"What about King Mickey?" Sora asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Oh, you and Riku didn't receive any letter from him?" Roxas took a letter out of his pocket, and the brunet immediately recognized the black mouse-shaped seal. It was from the King, alright. "I got this yesterday. I haven't exactly read it yet…"

"No, I didn't get anything."

"Well, maybe Riku got one for the both of you. You know, since you're always together and all that. Here, let's sit down and we'll read it."

"Sounds good."

The two plopped down onto the sand. Roxas fumbled with the letter, tearing open the envelope carefully as to not damage the piece of paper inside. He took it out, and began reading it.

 _Roxas,_

 _Hello, it's been a long time. I hope you've been adjusting to your new life, and that you've been well. I'm very sorry to be the bringer of bad news, and I know this is an especially bad time of year for you, but please, I hope you hear me out._

 _You've probably been wondering about the sudden increase of the heartless, haven't you? They've been appearing everywhere; the Enchanted Dominion, Radiant Gardens, Hollow Bastion, and especially in Twilight Town. We don't know exactly what's going on, but we believe that something dark must be rising once again. New creatures have been appearing along with the Heartless; we call them Grieves. They seem to be disembodied entities that attack the living, and take over their bodies. What happens with the souls, we haven't quite figured it out, but we do know that Grieves seem to be afraid of the Keyblade. We've also discovered that Grieves seem to follow Heartless; they seem to hide among them._

 _I was hoping that you'd be willing to go out and fight these Grieves, and report back to us anything you find. I'm thinking of sending Sora and Riku over with you, so at least I'd know you wouldn't be fighting alone. I know you'll be going to the Islands soon, it'd be a good idea to bring them back with you._

 _Stay safe,_

 _King Mickey_

On the bottom, hastily scribbled in messy handwriting, were _Donald Duck_ and _Sir Goofy._ Sora and Roxas laughed.

"So, looks like you and Riku will be going back with me, eh?" Roxas said. "That's really awesome."

"Guess it is," Sora replied. "Wait, but what about Kairi?"

"He didn't say anything about her…But I think she'll be safe here. Considering that they haven't come yet. The Grieves, I mean, whatever they are."

"The name sounds pretty creepy. Grieves."

"Grieves," Roxas folded the letter up and placed it in his pocket. "You know, I think it's better if we leave as soon as possible. I don't think it'd be such a good idea to leave Twilight Town undefended."

"Yeah, should probably grab a few things before we go though. Say goodbye to Kairi too."

"I'll go with you."

The two stood up, brushed themselves off, and began making their way to Sora's house. Sora put his hands in his pockets, and his hands brushed against the watch, and he remembered what had happened the night before. He didn't know why, but the images haunted him, and he felt that the kid had something to do with those Grieves or whatever they were called. He felt the need to hurry over to Twilight Town; he had a feeling that something important lay there.

"We should hurry."

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, dear lovelies! I hope you enjoyed this short intro chapter to my story! I really hope it wasn't too confusing...That'd be mortifying...Very mortifying... Anyways, yes, please drop a review in that little adorable box below ^^ I'd absolutely love to hear what you beautiful readers have to say about this story. No flames please... I simply could not stand the burn...**

 **Thank you very much for reading and have a very good day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**No Safe Haven**

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

 **You can hide in the darkest corners**

 **Run far until you tire**

 **But the darkness will always catch up to you**

 **And envelope the light until there is no fire**

* * *

They hopped off the train, and Sora and Riku looked around. This was probably the first time they actually looked at Twilight Town without battling Heartless or Nobodies, and it looked amazing. The sun was beginning to set, casting a bright yellow and orange glow across the graffiti'ed walls in front of them as the last remaining rays struggled to get through. The shadows of the passersby danced along the colors, adding a little more life to the spray-painted art. Roxas nodded at them, and began walking out of the train station. Sora and Riku ran and caught up to him.

"You guys will be staying at my place," the blonde pointed out. "Are you guys okay with that?"

"It'd save us a lot of trouble," Riku said.

"Yeah, thanks Roxas!"

Roxas nodded. He lead them through the crowds of people, trying not to lose the two Islanders in the mad evening rush. They managed to make it out of the train station in one piece, and once they were on the streets, the blonde began walking again. Sora took the city in as he walked, making sure to memorize any detail and every building. He and Riku would probably be staying there for a while, so Kairi had suggested that he learn his way around.

 _"You don't want to get lost there,"_ She had said as the three Keyblade Wielders had gotten the train. _"It's better to know where you are at all times, in case you guys get attacked."_

The brunet looked around. There didn't seem to be any heartless, or those Grieve things King Mickey had mentioned in his letter? Maybe they come out at night? The sun was setting… Maybe they would attack the trio right when the sun disappeared! Sora put himself on alert; he was determined not to get caught off guard.

"This place hasn't changed a bit," Riku said.

"Nope, everything's stayed the same," Roxas said, smiling. "I love this place."

"You going to school here?" Sora piped in.

"Yeah, Twilight High. You know, to seem normal."

"Makes sense."

The three walked in silence. A group of kids ran past them, screaming. Sora glanced at them. They seemed to be running away from something; at first, he thought that they were playing tag, but then he saw the look of fear on the kid's faces.

"Guys," he said.

Roxas and Riku turned. They heard footsteps, and they all saw it. A tall, black figure was running towards them, claws outstretched, a wide, sinister grin on its face. It had no eyes, no nose, just two pointed ears on the side of its head and a slight resemblance to a human. There was a mark on its chest; it almost looked like a clock. Sora's eyes widened, and out of instinct, he summoned his keyblade. The black monster seemed to stop for a few seconds, as if hesitant to go on. Roxas and Riku took this as an opportunity to summon their Keyblades.

"Is this one of those Grieves?" Riku asked.

"I think it is," Roxas replied before lunging.

He slashed at the Grieve, but the monster jumped back. It skidded a bit before regaining its composer, and attacking. Roxas parried against its long claws, trying to find an opening to attack, but with eight giant claws against his two keyblades, all he could do was defend himself. He felt a burning sensation burst in his arm, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance when he felt something warm trickling down his skin. Riku ran up behind the Grieve and jumped on it, slashing randomly at it's back and neck, looking for its weak spot. The Grieve clawed at its back, and Riku had to jump back down to save himself. Sora ran up, pushing Roxas out of the way of the Grieve's claws and stabbed it's chest, right where the heart would be. There was a blinding light, and the three covered their eyes. When the light died down, the Grieve was gone.

In its place, was a small, silver, barely ticking clock.

Sora picked it up, examining it. It looked like a smaller version of the pocket watch he had; although this one was cracked, and it had stopped ticking. Roxas and Riku walked up to him.

"What is that?" Riku asked. "Did it come from the Grieve?"

"I think this is what remains of the bodies it takes over. The Grieve possesses the body, and the soul of the person is locked inside this tiny clock," Roxas said.

"Wait, so you mean someone's soul is inside this thing?!" Sora exclaimed.

"I think it is…We should get this back to King Mickey. He should know how to release the soul, right?"

"We'll find a way to get it back tomorrow. They could be attracted to humans, and I don't feel like having my soul sucked into a tiny clock. Let's go."

The three ran towards Roxas' house. They didn't encounter any Grieves on the way, just a few Heartless, but they made quick work of them. The blonde lead his friends into a tall apartment building. Sora noticed that it was next to the big clock tower and a small bakery, and tried to memorize its position before following his friends inside. They were greeted by an old woman as they walked up the stairs, and Sora offered her a smile as she hobbled down. They reached the third floor, where Roxas' apartment was.

"It's this one, right here," the duo-keyblade wielder said, pulling out his keys. He unlocked the door and was about to go inside when he noticed someone coming out of the apartment next to him. "Oh, Ri."

Sora and Riku looked up. There was a short, skinny kid standing a few feet away from him. Sora's eyes widened. Short, messy black hair, a pale face; it was the kid from the night before! He still couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl, the kid's bangs slightly covered their eyes. They had on big, thick framed glasses, and they wore an oversized jacket, a black beanie, shorts and boots. The kid looked up.

"Roxas…Hi…" they murmured.

"Where are…you going out so late?" Roxas asked.

"Just…walk around I guess…"

"Be careful, Ri."

"I'll be fine…"

The kid walked past them. Sora felt like saying, "Wait!" but he refrained himself from doing it. What if he freaked the kid out? He watched the kid go down the stairs before turning back to his friends and walking inside the apartment.

"Who was that, Roxas?" Riku asked, sitting down on the couch.

The brunet was grateful that the silveret was there.

"I think her name's Ritsu. She moved into the apartment next to me a few months ago, and I think she's in a few of my classes," Roxas replied. "I don't really know much about her. She's really quiet and she hates talking to people. People at school call her a witch and things like that."

"That was a girl?!" Sora asked, bewildered.

"Yeah. I don't blame you for thinking that she was a boy, I thought she was one too when I saw her for the first time! But I'm pretty sure she's 100% girl."

"That's crazy."

"Yup," the blonde nodded. "You guys want something to eat or are you just going to knock out on the couch?"

Sora sat down on the other couch. "Think I'm gonna knock out right now."

"Okay. If you wake up in the middle of the night, you can take something from the fridge. Just don't touch the nachos, they're mine," the blonde turned off the lights. "Night, guys."

Sora slipped off his shoes and shed his jacket, squirming to make himself comfortable. He heard Riku yawn, and a few seconds later, he heard snoring. The brunet turned onto his side, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

* * *

The feeling of something hard being repeatedly smacked against his face woke Sora. He sat up, only to have another mouthful of a pillow shoved into his face. He heard Riku let out a laugh, before he took another pillow and hit him again. Sora groaned and took the pillow, tossing it back into his friend's face. He stood up, yawning, and cracked his neck.

"Look who finally woke up," Riku joked.

"C'mon, I'm not used to waking up early," Sora said. "It can't be that late. Look, it's only-" He glanced towards he clock. "3:10…"

"Swear, if Kairi was here she would kill you."

"But she isn't, so I'm safe."

There was a brief moment of silence between the two, but it was soon interrupted by a loud, growling noise. Riku burst out laughing, and Sora threw a pillow at his best friend.

"Not funny, man, I'm starving," the brunet said.

"No food in the fridge. Roxas lied, all he had was water and some left over pizza," Riku stated, trying to calm himself down. "We ate that pizza for breakfast, by the way."

"Aww man!"

"We could go out and buy something to eat, things here can't be that expensive. I have a few Munny, we could get something from the convenience store across the street."

"Sounds awesome. Let's go."

The two slipped their shoes on, and headed out of the apartment. They stepped onto the streets, and made their way over to the convenience store. It was, however, closed. Sora glared at the big red sign in front of him.

"That idea's out," he muttered.

"That bakery is open?" Riku suggested.

Sora's stomach growled again. "Let's try it."

They walked across the street again, and headed inside the bakery. The little bell jingled when they stepped into the building, and the sweet aroma wafted into their noses. Sora's mouth watered at the thought of food, and he looked at Riku, putting on his best puppy dog eyes. The silver-haired teen sighed and put his hands in his pockets.

"Oh crap."

"What?" Sora asked.

"I think I wasted my Munny on the train ticket…I forgot…" Riku said slowly. "Sorry dude…"

"I'm going to die…"

Suddenly, a bag was shoved between both of their faces. They both jumped, and looked at the kid in front of them. It was the girl (they still couldn't believe she was a girl), Ritsu, the one Roxas told them about yesterday. Sora glanced at the bag almost suspiciously, but all suspicion was gone when he smelled bread inside. He hesitantly took the bag.

"For us?" He asked.

"Yeah…" She muttered. "You guys looked like…you were about to die.."

"I'm not that hungry," Riku said cooly.

"Guess you wouldn't mind me eating all of this then," Sora stated.

"I would kill you if you did and have no regrets."

Sora ignored him. "Well, thank you anyways, um.."

"Just call her Witch. That's what everyone calls her."

Riku and Sora looked towards the source of the voice. There stood a familiar blonde face, with two people flanked by his side.

 _Seifer, Rai, and Fuu,_ Sora thought. _These guys never give people a break._

"I mean, you can call her Warlock too. She looks like a dude," Seifer snickered. "Maybe we should check. Rai."

The tall raven walked over to Ritsu, picking her up by the collar. The girl didn't even bother struggling, just hanging there.

"Just hanging?" Fuu asked. "Girl weak."

"Seifer, let her go," Riku said.

"Or what?" The blonde asked.

"Just do it," Sora said.

Rai looked towards Seifer, who just rolled his eyes. The taller bully dropped Ritsu, and she fell to the floor. Sora knelt down, checking if she was okay, and helped her up. Seifer clicked his tongue. "C'mon, Rai, Fuu," He walked out of the bakery, and the two followed.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked.

"This happens all the time…" Ritsu replied, fixing her glasses. "Don't worry…I'll get them back…" She whispered the last part, but Sora heard. "I better go…"

Riku glanced at her as she walked out of the bakery. "There's something off about her."

"I feel bad for her," Sora said.

"We have to keep on eye on her. I feel like she's hiding something."

Sora looked at Ritsu. He noticed a silver chain hanging out from her sweater, and he remembered the silver watch that came from the Grieve. They definitely needed to keep an eye on her.

"But first…can we eat?"

* * *

 **A/N: Hello again, lovelies! I pray you enjoyed this short chapter...I really hope you did! I hope you'd be kind enough as to...give a review...? What, I really want to know what you guys think about my story! ...So...Please...?**

 **Hehe thank you and have a very nice day~**


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